State-owned operator Nederlandse Loterij has secured the shutdown of unlicensed gambling site Skyhills in the Netherlands. The company sent cease-and-desist notices to operators and directors in Costa Rica, North Macedonia, the United Kingdom, Curaçao, Malta and the Marshall Islands. The platform is no longer accessible to Dutch players.
Nederlandse Loterij CEO Arjan Blok said Skyhills had been running aggressive advertising on TikTok aimed at young users. 'Players there gamble without any protective measures and bear all the associated risks. That is unacceptable,' he said. Skyhills is the third unlicensed operator the state lottery has moved against after Lalabet and Qbet.
In June a Dutch court ruled against Lalabet, finding the operators acted unlawfully and ordering them to disclose their ownership structure. The court also examined the role of trust administrators and local nominees servicing illegal platforms. Though Curaçao trust company DECC was not found liable, the ruling opened the door to future proceedings. Nederlandse Loterij plans to appeal part of the decision and is investigating links between the same trust firm and Qbet and Skyhills.
The operator estimates unlicensed platforms control roughly half the Dutch online gambling market, which has an annual turnover above €1 billion, and account for around 95% of gambling advertising. Some 200,000 Dutch citizens use illegal platforms. Blok called on authorities to pursue criminal enforcement and involve banks, payment providers and hosting firms in the fight against unlicensed operators.
